Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- [196-?]-2024 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
2,235 files of textual materials and other records.
4,905 photoprints
139 photonegatives
3 3.5 inch diskettes
2 CD-R
9 VHS
1 DVD
1 331/3-rpm vinyl disc
19 1/4 inch open reels
31 audio cassettes
1 U-matic
1 Order of Canada medal
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Nationality: Canadian. Born: Carlisle, Cumberland, England, 12 November 1938. Education: Bristol University, 1957-61, B.A. (honors) in English 1960, Cert. Ed. 1961. Family: Married 1) Gale Courey in 1965 (marriage dissolved 1972), one daughter; 2) Myrna Teitelbaum in 1975, one stepson and two adopted children. Career: Taught at a secondary school and a boys' borstal, Bristol, 1961, Rosemount High School, Montreal, 1962-63, Royal Canadian Air Force Base, Cold Lake, Alberta, 1964-65, at a Catholic comprehensive school in England, 1965, and at schools and universities in Montreal, part-time, 1966-71; writer-in-residence, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, 1972-73, Loyola College, Montreal, 1976, University of Ottawa, 1977, Concordia University, Montreal, 1980-81, and University of Bologna, Italy, 1985. Lives in Ottawa, Ontario. Awards: Canada Council award, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1985; University of Western Ontario President's medal, for short story, 1969; Ottawa-Carleton Literary award, 1987; gold medal for fiction in the National Magazines awards, 1996.
Archival history
Acquired between 1981 and 2012. First accession officially presented to the University of Calgary by J. Metcalf at a ceremony April 14, 1982.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Fonds consists of correspondence with authors, editors, publishers and educators and on various subjects as well as editorial correspondence relating to Biblioasis, Canadian Notes & Queries and Porcupine's Quill; notes and drafts of novels, short stories, prose, essays and memoirs, and documentation relating to anthologies edited by J. Metcalf; notebooks, scrapbooks, photographs and sound recordings including readings and discussions by the Montreal Storyteller Fiction Performance Group; works on J. Metcalf including awards; published works; and works by others.
Accession 895/12.12 highlights Metcalf's work as an editor and mentor of new literary voices. The records cover the period from 2008-2011, including the tumultuous period of 2008-2009 following the publishing of the Jane Urquhart edited Penguin Book of Canadian Short Stories; Metcalf spearheaded a backlash to Urquhart's story choices, efforts that included an issue of Canadian Notes & Queries with the title "Salon des Refusés." This accession includes correspondence with authors, publishers, rare book dealers and artists, samples of author's work and editorial critiques, personal correspondence and photographs. The accession also includes works by Metcalf including drafts of his short story "Ceazar Salad," and the novella "The Museum at the End of the World."
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
Accession 2025.59 included 3 grey boxes of textual materials which are filed under the Ray Smith Fonds (with same accession number).
System of arrangement
All accessions combined and reloaded. April 2026
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Searchable online database.
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
For additional archival material relating to John Metcalf see the ECW Press fonds (Accession 297/82.11, 382/86.4).
Notes area
Note
Title based on contents of fonds.
Note
Further accruals expected.
Alternative identifier(s)
ckey
Access points
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Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
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Sources
Archivist's note
Accession 2024.24 (1.05m of textual records and 20 photoprints) arranged and described. (CLC) October 2024.
Combined spreadsheet in progress. (CLC) October 2024.
Accession 2022.63 150 files including 135 bound proofs arranged and described. 7.04 m of textual materials (22 Bard boxes). Added to combined spreadsheet. (CLC) November 2024.
Accession 2025.59 (2.99m of textual materials/18 Bard and grey boxes) ingested; spreadsheet created. (CLC) December 2025.